Listen to me: Chan, the critic, gives his slant on this week's new releases

LL Cool J: (G.O.A.T.) The Greatest of All Time (Def Jam)

LL Cool J used to be an edgier version of what Puff Daddy is today.

During the 80s, Cool J was the lone ranger among pop-oriented rappers. He released the ultimate rap love anthem with "I Need Love" and the workout classic "Momma Said Knock You Out." To that end, he was the rapper with a heart ? naughty, but forgivable.

Unfortunately, like most rappers, he felt he had talent beyond the microphone, appearing on the Hollywood scene, making movies and comedy sitcoms.

With his new album, he wants back in the rap spotlight. And to help lay out the red carpet, he's enlisted Redman, Method Man and Snoop Dogg, among others.

Regardless of his former glories in the pre-Backstreet Boys MTV era, to be taken seriously this time around Cool J will have to knock us out with his rapping and not just his friendly image.

One more thing: the new album is titled "The Greatest of All Time." Why do rappers feel the need to show their bravado in lyrics and album titles? Give it up.

Christina Aguilera: Mi Reflejo (RCA)

Christina Aguilera lost her voice earlier this month. There is a god.

Aguilera, is about three notches below Mariah Carey's vocal range, but what she lacks in talent, she makes up for with Diane Warren songs. For those who don't recognize Warren's name, she is the culprit behind Aerosmith's  "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," Celine Dion's "Because You Love Me," and Leann Rhimes's "How Do I Live." In other words, Warren is on the KOST 103.5 FM wall of fame.

But Aguilera, voted Best New Artist at this year's Grammy Awards, is doing what all past winners have done. She has milked her solo release until it has turned to leather.

"Mi Reflejo" features six songs, re-recorded in Spanish that appeared on her eponymous debut and several other originals. For the acne-infested prepubescent fans, hit songs "Genie in a Bottle," "What a Girl Wants" and "I Turn to You" make special guest  appearences.

In the words of the infamous Bart Simpson, "I never thought this was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows."

Emmylou Harris: Red Dirt Girl (Nonesuch)

Since the 1995 Grammy-winning "Wrecking Ball," Emmylou Harris has been busy making special appearances on PBS' "Austin City Limits".

She's a living legend. Her 30-plus-year career has yielded the respect of her peers and frequent contributions from artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews (a guest on her recent "Austin City Limits" concert) and Patty Griffin. Fittingly, they all appear on "Red Dirt Girl."

Let's give much respect to this aging but viable songwriter, singer and performer.

Boyz II Men: Nathan Michael Shawn Wanya (Universal)

Their 1997 album "Evolution" was only a mild success when compared to the recent chart sales by the Backstreet Boys and 'NSync.

The Boyz used to be the golden child of the charts. But since Max Martin's pop songs started scoring high for the new boy bands, Babyface, who wrote the band's top two hits "I'll Make Love To You" and "End of the Road," has taken a back sear.  And so have the Boyz's music. The new album, which features the first single, "Pass You By," might just live up to that song's title.

Chan Tran is a print journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.